Those that have read my blog at least a few times probably know how I would answer the question of whether you should gift someone a pet. My answer would be no, just like most of us wouldn’t want someone picking out our friends, job, home, spouse or roommates for us. We like to be part of that if not the sole decision maker. Now I have some ideas, that can make great alternatives to surprising someone with a pet, even your kids, so don’t stop reading.
- Get a box, put in a few supplies for the pet you want to gift to your loved one such as a collar, a food bowl, a fish bowl etc… & give them this. Put a promise note in there about picking out a pet together as a family.
- Make up a Gift Certificate telling them you want to pay the adoption fee for a pet for them.
- Go on Petfinder.com, adoptapet or Rescueme as a family & look at all the pets in your area that need homes. Everyone can pick favorites & you can decide together which ones to apply to adopt &/or go see to see if there is a whole family connection.
- If the person you want to gift a pet to really isn’t wanting or ready for a pet, make a donation to a animal shelter, Humane Society or rescue in their name & give or send a card letting them know you did that.
Please know not all pets like everyone, & think how hard it would be if you gave a pet to someone & it didn’t like them or vice versa. I have been an animal lover my whole life & when I went to meet my Amazon Parrot Sassy & his siblings I picked one out, but the breeders/sellers kept telling me I think you have been chosen. Sassy kept coming over to me & wouldn’t stop trying to get my attention, I had chosen his sibling, but they didn’t look much different & it was obvious we had connected so I got him. He was about 12 weeks old then & is 33 1/2 yrs old now. My dog Hunter also chose me, I chose to meet him first of course. During the meet & greet his foster parents told me that in 3-4 weeks with the Humane Society & at their home he had never sought out attention from a human. While I was sitting he came & laid 1/2 on me & I heard a gasp & I was like what? He has been so bonded with me since, he is laying on the futon in this room while I’m writing this & rarely is he ever far away if he has a choice.
Holidays & celebrations can be a busy times, with family, friends, parties, gatherings, gifts, decorations & busy shopping, running around, baking, cooking ect…also it can a stressful time, so adding a new pet into the mix can be stressful to the pet as well as the humans. So a few weeks after all the events might be a calmer time to bring home a new family member (new pet).
The 1st 48-72 hours in a new home for any pet should be kept low key & let them settle in & learn the routine & decompress & relax. If there is a lot going on & people coming & going that can be stressful to a pet.
Buying a pet as a surprise for someone could be unwelcome & cause them added expenses they had not budgeted for: from food, to training, to boarding & Vet bills. This is where a gift certificate you make up can be given & they can decide if a fish for a pet, or a dog, cat, rabbit ect or no pet at all.
If you want to give your kids a pet, please know most kids rarely help like expected in the care of a pet. So be sure you are ready, willing & able to take on that responsibly at least 80% of the time (you’re blessed if it’s less). Most kids start off as great helpers, & great intentions, but the newness wears off & the parents may need to take over. The above dog is stuffed so it might be a great choice or maybe a remote controlled operated dog or cat toy. We had a family dog & cat & growing up & I loved to walk my dog, but they probably would have starved or thirsted to death if my mom didn’t make sure it was done. When we had fish, hamsters, ect my mom wouldn’t get near them, so she had to remind us over & over to take care of them. I am grateful my parents let us have pets growing up, my dad was raised on a farm, so he felt it was important for us to have pets & my mom went along (but she would have been fine with stuffed & remote pets).
There are a lot of wonderful pets in shelters & rescues needing homes & sadly about 4-12 weeks after the Christmas Holidays animal rescues places start to get all those “gifted pets” that were more work than expected or weren’t really wanted by all family members. Puppies, kittens & a variety of pets need homes & rescuing a pet, saves that pets life, plus it opens up a space for another pet to be rescued, so you actually may be saving 2 lives. Shelters/Rescues have pets of ages & types, from dogs, cats to most every caged pet you can think of, including snakes, turtles & even some have fish. I personally have fostered: dogs,birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamster, chinchillas, hedge hogs, & ferrets through rescue groups. I hope you will consider adopting your next pet & adopting as a family & not gifting a surprise pet to anyone.
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Echoing Great Pet Care 